Colonnade-car.



LE VERT CLARK, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

COLONNADE-CAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 23, 1912.

Application filed March 8, 1912. Serial No. 682,473.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Ln VERT CLARK a citizen of the United States,residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne, State of Michigan, haveinvented a new and useful Colonnade-Car; and I do declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make anduse the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and tothe characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

This invention relates to streetcars and the like.

It has for its object the better protection of standing passengers, thanis now afforded by the short straps usually hung, from the ceiling orfrom a horizontal bar, below the transoms; and to save passengers fromthe jars of contact with the sides or corners of transverse handrails orseats. Instead of the straps, or the other dubious supports, that causepassengers to stand in unnatural, awkward and (liscomfiting postures, Ipropose to put a plurality of preferably slightly flexible poles,vertically placed, from the ceiling to the floor, where they arepermanently secured Within an open area, reserved as a lobby, loggia, orfoyer, preferably at the forward end, or middle, of the car; except theportion used by the motorman, heating fixtures, exits or other purposes;andthen put all the usual or desired number of permanent seats,crosswise; from the entrance, on each side of the aisle up to the lobby.So that passengers entering, say pay-enter cars, unless taking a seat,will not find inducement to loiter near the entrance or stop in theaisle; but be compelled perforce, to go forward where they may easilystand, with considerable comfort, aided by the'poles in the lobby. Whenitcomes to leaving the car these steering poles will enable them to makea quicker exit, without discommoding themselves or others; with theresult of not detaining the car so long as now. Several seconds overstopeach time, makes many minutes derangement of schedules; particularly ifthe number of cars is increased during the rush hours of large cities.There should preferably be no seats where people stand; which issuitably arranged for in the lobby portion both in the preferred and inits modified form and consequently no sprawling feet of seatedpassengers, to stumble over or avoid; when other passengers areentering, standing, or leaving, the car. Thus, the same number of seats,and a relatively greater area, of more conveniently arranged standingroom, may be provided; than is now possible in cars of conventionalmake. \Vhereby theentrance and passageways will ordinarily remain clear,for the quicker movements of passengers entering and leaving the car. Inits modified form the lobby may embrace all or as much as desirable, ofthe floor space; on either or both sides of the entrance, exits and theaisle, with seats opposite and preferably placed with their backs ortheir ends toward the lobby; on which seats may be placed auxiliarypoles E.

(The poles may also serve to strengthen the roof, when attached to theceiling, by preventing its vibration, up and down.

Among its advantages, the steering pole is not liable to causediscomfort to passengers, who might otherwise be thrown against thecorners of rails, or seats, or against passengers sitting in the badlylocated lengthwise seats now used, by the lurching of the car; sometimesresulting in embarrassment or serious injury. It is obvious that holdingon to the poles in standing or steering from one to the other, gives apassenger a better footing and a dignified feeling of confidence; thatrelieves the situation of the ridicule, attached to the threadbare nameof strap hanger. Which ubiquitous person, in superior numbers,wrongfully or not, has never failed to inflict punishment, in one way oranother, on every railroad company that produces the hypercriticalspecies. The poles act better than straps or rails, as fenders, toprevent standing passengers, or those moving in any direction, fromlosing their heads, feet or their temper; because straps are racticallyout of reach, to the majorlty of travelers; and transverse or horizontalhandrails, and corners, are too rigid and to carry as many passengerseach trip standing, as well as seated, as it can comfortably hold; andhave as small a number of cars in operation, as possible, to handle thetratlic. Because the fewer the cars, the fewer are the stops, withbetter service generally, and less interruption of time schedules andstreet trafiic. Which matters are for the serious consideration of the'powers-that-be in large cities; particularly for the busy or rushhours, morning, noon and evening; likewise for church and theater hours,fairs, baseball, and other special occasions; especially at cross-oversor intersecting streets, where strings of cars and street vehicles arealready too much delayed by similar opposing lines slowly passingthrtmgh; likewise there are numerous meandering pedestrians and vehiclesin the way. To double the number of cars so as to give everybody seats,--which people would be compelled to occupy many minutes longer,because of the extra time required to despatch so many unnecessary cars,crossing each other to destination, to again return,-would be augmentingthe difliculty and delay, instead of improving car service and thecongested conditions of street traffic. Only political folly would urgeit. Most streets are already overcrowded with people; horses, wagons,automobiles, cars and vehicles generally. With the colonnade cars, fewerin number,for a larger number of people; the time that would be occupiedby passengers, actually.

standing comfortably, think on it would be relatively so much shorterthan now, that people would naturally prefer to remain standing, ifaided by the poles, for

a shorter time; thaneven to be seated, for a lnuch longer time; on tripsup to two miles and over; when the cars are usually sufficiently emptiedto give, the remaining passengers, seats, to the quicker termination oftheir respective journeys.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a vertical central section on line l-1 ofFig. 2 through center of aisle, of a car embodying this invention; Figs.2, 3, and 4 are horizontal sections above the seats; Figs. 3 and 4showing modifications; Fig. 5 is alongitudinal central section and Fig.6 is a cross-section, of a preferred detail.

The term lobby as used herein means colonnade, in its preferred-sense, aparticular arrangement of a reserved portion of the inside of a streetcar and the like; by removing the seats and placing, there instead,

clear, vertical poles at convenient intervals apart; and securing themoverhead and to the floor below; so that passengers may hold on tosaidp'oles while standing or walking around them unobstructed, at leastby seats, transverse hand rests or horizontal rails and the like or bythe feet of seated passengers. And in its modified use the lobby, asherein defined, may have adjacent and auxiliary poles secured overheadand also below, attached to seats, or to the backs of seats adjacent tothe lobby so that the feet of seated passengers will not be in theportion reserved for standing passengers.

D is the platform or floor of the vestibule, preferably lower than thefloor of the car body A.

B is the end wall.

Provision is made for a lobby L at one end, the full width of the carand extending back toward the entrance as far as desirable. As modified,L is a lobby on one side of the aisle. The seats D, preferably arefortwo or three passengers, each, and non-collapsible; and placed immovableand facing forward in the usual way; but the seats,

next to or adjacent to the lobby portion will have their backs or endstoward the lobby, to segregate the seated from the standing passengers.The seats a, b, and 0 may be for one, two and three passengers each.Preferably when the seats are across the aisle from the lobby, poles Emaybe placed from the corners of the seats and secured overhead orsimilarly secured on any seat, as at 0' to operate as auxiliary poles tothe preferred form of lobby. To properly balance the car there shouldpreferably be as much of the lobby on one side of the aisle as on theother; and the same arrangement of seats, in high speed cars, Figs. 2and 3. But this caution is not necessary in slower street service wherethe lobby may be all on one side and seats on the other, Fig. 4.

E, E, are slightly flexible poles placed vertically in the lobby atconvenient intervals apart, on each side of the exit passageway andattached to the floor at e, to the ceiling at e, and below on-seats atc; the place of attachment, always overhead and below may be eitherunderneath the transom J or in the highest roof portion F, above thetransoms or in any place overhead, for example vestibule .roof F or byother suitable arrangements. The space below around the poles,preferably should be free of all obstructions that would usually preventwalk--l eter including a'co vering I of any suitable material; such forexample as rubber, leather, paper, or a textile for the like purose.This covering serves to prevent the chill of metal to the hand whengrasping it for a length of time in extremely cold weather and may belimited only to the portion in easy reach. of the hand. But in itssimpler form the pole may be "'a smaller solid rod or a pipe without thecovering I; or a cable, used, in this particular way, in the same sense,as a pole. Midway of the pole is a place h, of considerablelateralresiliency in all directions, when the pole is, in any manner, firmlysecured at each end. \Vhich feature softens the impact of a bodycolliding with it. The poles sparsely placed however, will preferably benot too yielding or overmuch elastic, or placed in direct line of theexits; or have horizontal bars or handrails connected thereto or anypermanent obstructing means, around about below. Whereby a sort ofplace, may be formed to rally around the poles where conversation may beenjoyed, as in a foyer.

WVhat I claim is:

1. In a street car and the like, the combination of a reserved portionthereof, inside the car, wherein standing passengers may be segregatedfrom passengers outside the reservation; and the particular arrangementof a plurality of poles, placed vertically in the,v

reservation at convenient intervals apart and secured overhead, and, attheir bases, tothe floor with attachments, thereto, only overhead and attheir bases; the said reservation and the poles therein being free andclear of obstructing elements that would prevent full contact bypassengers with the surface of the ,0 poles in reach of the hand; andlikewise free and clear of seats-that would place the feet ofpassengers, seated therein, in a position of possible and mutualinterference with any other passenger who may be standing anywhere nearand holding on to a pole in the reservation.

2. In a street car and the like, the combination of a reserved portionthereof, inside the car, wherein standing passengers may be segregatedfrom passengers outside the reservation; the particular arrangement of aplurality of poles, placed vertically in the reservation atconvenientintervals apart and secured overhead and, at their bases, tothe floor; and a plurality of auxiliary poles placed vertically uponportions of seats in proximity to but outside the area covered by theaforementioned poles, to form a modified reservation having seats; whichauxiliary poles are likewise secured overhead and, at their bases, tothe seats; whereby the feet of seated-passengers may not be placed in aposition of usual and mutual interference with the standing passengerswho may be ,seats are of holding on to any of the said poles in themodified reservation, having seats situated as described.

3. In a streetcar and the like, the combination of a reserved portionthereof, inside the car, wherein standing passengers may be segregatedfrom passengers outside the reservation; and the particular arrangementof a plurality of poles elastically and vertically placed in thereservation, at convenient intervals apart and secured only overhead,and, at their bases; the poles may be composed of a central corepartially covered by a different material of less conductivity of heatthan the core itself.

4. In a street car and the like, the combination of a reserved portionthereof, inside the car, wherein standing'passengers may be segregatedfrom passengers outside the reservation; and the particular arrangementof a plurality of cables, named and used in the same sense and way aspoles, placed vertically in the reservation, at convenient intervalsapart and secured overhead and below; so that the cables, acting aspoles, may serve as holding means for passengers standing in thereservation and in theadjacent aisles.

5. In a street car and the like, the combination of portions devoted toseated ptfssengers; and lobby portions, whichtnay be devojtd of seats inwhich seatedaportions the conventional make and faced away from thelobby; and, which lobby portions have a plurality of poles placedvertically therein, at convenient intervals apart, and secured overheadand below; which pole are clear and free of obstructing attachmentsroundabout; so that the seated portions may accommodate passengers inthe usual way; and the poles, of the lobby portions, may serve as safeand convenient holding means, for persons standing as in a foyer; andsteering mean sfwhen leaving the car.

G. T combination, with a street car and the like of alobby inside thecar and a plurality of poles placed vertically therein and secured,overhead and below; which poles are clear and free of obstructingattachments roundabout; and usable by passengers, substantially asdescribed.

7. The combination with a street car and the like, of a lobby, whichlobby is composed of a plurality of portions of the car separated fromeach other by other portions of the car; in which lobby, poles arevertically placed and secured therein overhead and below; which polesare clear and free of obstructing adjuncts transverse handrails. seatsand attachments roundabout; so that the poles may serve as holding meansfor standing passengers and steering means for passengers leaving thecar.

'8. The -combinastion with a street car and thelike, of a plurality ofconventional seats placed therein, and auxiliary lobby poles verticallyplaced therein and secured, to the seats and overhead, to form amodified reservation comprising a part "of the segregated the poles mayfurnish holding means for 10 standing passengers and steering means forpassengers leaving the car.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specification in the presence of twowitnesses.

LE VERT CLARK. Witnesses:

W. W. BUTLER, H. R. MARTIN.

Copies ofithis patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents.

- Washington, D. C.

